Disney’s streaming service Disney Plus already has 26.5 million subscribers–a figure reached five years earlier than expected by the company. The results for the last quarter of 2019 were released this Tuesday by the company, but investors were only worried about one number: subscribers. These numbers were disclosed for some media outlets in the US, such as Engadget and The New York Times, a few minutes before the company’s conference call with analysts.
Launched in November, the platform found immediate success with The Mandalorian, a live-action production from the saga Stars Wars that introduced the now famous Baby Yoda. In a single day the company reported having reached 10 million subscribers then.
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Throughout this year, Disney’s focus will be not only to strengthen Disney Plus in the United States, but to bring the platform to more international markets.
In Brazil and Latin America the platform will arrive in November this year. According to Robert A. Iger, Disney’s chief executive, this means not only betting on marketing actions, but also on communication and content appropriate to the language of each market.
Soon after that, in 2021, the company is expected to bring a second platform to Latin America: Hulu.
According to the NYT Disney’s other platforms are also growing fast: Hulu has now 30.4 million subscribers (33% more than a year ago), and ESPN Plus 6.6 million subscribers.
Mandalorian’s launch strategy was indeed successful, according to Iger. In the call with analysts, he said that 60% of people who saw Mandalorian saw at least 10 other contents of the platform. Mandalorian’s second season opens in October and is expected to help expand the platform internationally.
